"I want all to know that if I disappear from the scene, because the bush is vast and hyenas many, that I am not planning any accident, nor, God forbid, any self destruction. Instead, I trust in a good guardian angel and in the action of grace."
Father John Kaiser

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Kaiser was murdered

'Brother': Kaiser was murdered

Story by NATION Correspondent Publication Date: 2/7/2006

A missionary brother yesterday claimed that there were some people behind the death of Catholic priest Anthony Kaiser.

Brother Alfonse Borgmam told a Nairobi court that Fr Kaiser did not commit suicide. However, he did not name those he believes were involved in the murder.

The missionary brother said his conclusion was based on what he had seen before and Fr Kaiser expressed fear for his life.

Brother Borgmam also told the court that he knew Fr Kaiser as a strong man who had a strong conviction.

He was testifying during an inquiry into the death of Fr Kaiser.

Fr Kaiser, a Mill Hill missionary who headed the Lolgorian Catholic Parish in Ngong, Kajiado District, was found dead at Morendant junction on the Nakuru-Naivasha road. His head had been blown off and his shotgun lay nearby.

Committed suicide

A team from the US Federal Bureau of Investigations, which joined Kenyan detectives on August 25 to investigate the death, concluded that Fr Kaiser committed suicide. But church leaders and human rights lobbyists rejected the report and pressed for an inquest.

The missionary brother said he knew the priest since 1960 when they first met in London.

Brother Borgmam, who has been in the country since 1974, said he shared a table with the Catholic priest a day before his death.

Fr Kaiser, he said, travelled from Lolgorian and came to Nairobi on August 21, 2000.

"The arrival of Fr Kaiser coincided with my birthday party,' he said, adding that he had invited the priest to the birthday party but he failed to attend.

According to brother Borgmam, the priest had an appointment with the Pope's representative in Kenya the following day. He said he drove the priest to the place where he was to meet with the Pope's representative.

He said on their way to the Nuncio's place, he noticed that Fr Kaiser was in a very low mood but didn't ask why.